The COVID-19 pandemic is being tested most severely in the United States, for both ordinary Americans and health care workers. No matter you are in a largely rural area of the United States or an international metropolis, although cities and villages are not closed down like in China, everyone seems to feel that there is a shortage of medical care. No health care system can perfectly cope with this sudden outbreak, which is why the US Congress passed an $8.3 billion COVID-19 funding bill on March 5.
The spread of the New York outbreak has caused untold suffering for many people with chronic health conditions. Studies have found that COVID-19 has a higher mortality rate among people with multiple chronic diseases, so they are afraid to go out, go shopping, or even visit their family doctor to follow up on their chronic diseases; Another group of people may have the flu or the common cold or even allergies and have trouble making an appointment with their GP. As long as you have a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, given that COVID-19 testing is not in place in New York, and there is no fever clinic like in China, and the average family doctor’s office in the United States does not have the capacity to test for COVID-19, so family doctors often refuse to see such patients. If they walk in, the clinic will be at war. So at present, many doctors’ clinics are simply closed to ensure safety.
So how can we better solve the current conflict? Telemedicine, a previously tepid industry, has become more familiar with COVID-19. Telemedicine, or Telemedicine, has been around for a long time, mostly in places where medicine is scarce or in consultation. Now, in an effort to prevent direct contact between health care workers and patients to contain the spread of the disease, the Trump administration announced on March 17 that $490 million in the COVID-19 appropriations bill would be used for Medicare (red and blue cards) “telemedicine” consultations. Medicare enrollees can now consult with a doctor at home by phone, video, or by phone. Physicians, nurses, clinical psychologists, and licensed clinical social workers may provide telemedicine services to all Medicare enrollees. At present, many insurance companies are also actively responding to promote telemedicine to alleviate the shortage of medical resources during the epidemic and reduce the spread of the epidemic.